Schiedea kaalae is a coarse herb growing from a woody caudex, typically reaching a height of 2 to 12 cm and occasionally up to 50 cm. The stems are often swollen at the nodes, terete (cylindrical), 4-angled or -ridged, thick, somewhat fleshy, and predominantly purple. They exhibit an ascending, unbranched, and tortuous growth form, with greatly compressed internodes and leaves tufted at the apex. The stems are glabrous throughout. The plant’s leaves are simple and opposite, with somewhat irregular, curved, or concave blades. They are elliptic-oblanceolate to nearly spatulate, measuring (8–)14–24 cm in length and (1.5–)2–5(–6) cm in width. The apex of the leaves is acuminate, acute, or obtuse with a mucronate tip, and the bases are often connate around the stem, being long-attenuate. The leaf surfaces are glabrous, and the blades are thick and coriaceous. The margins are entire, with only the midvein evident, which is somewhat eccentric. The petioles are 0–3 cm long and purple, especially near the stem. Stipules are absent. The flowers form in a terminal inflorescence, with 20–300 flowers on an erect, diffuse structure measuring 20–40(–60) cm long. The tertiary and higher order internodes are ascending or appressed. The bracts are subulate and purple, ciliate at least toward the base. The pedicels are 7–10 mm long, elongating to 15 mm in fruit, and conspicuously asymmetrically flattened. The flowers are bisexual (perfect), with sepals measuring 3.5–4.1 mm in length, lanceolate, purple, opaque, and completely reflexed. The corolla (petals) is absent. There are 10 stamens with dimorphic filaments and subequal yellow anthers. The superior ovary is 1-celled, with free-central ovule placentation and typically 3 (sometimes 4) styles. The fruit is a narrowly ovoid capsule, approximately 3.5–5 mm long and 1.6–2.2 mm in diameter. The seeds are 1.0–1.2 mm long, orbicular-reniform, slightly compressed, with starchy perisperm (nutritive tissue surrounding the embryo) and absent true endosperm. It is native to diverse mesic forests and possibly wet forests on steep slopes in shaded sites between 410–730 meters.